Assassin's Creed: Downfall
by Mordekai92
Summary: Connected to both Assassin's Creed 3 and Assassin's Creed: Rogue. You are going to see the continuation of Shay Cormac's story and witness the final templar attack on the Davenport Homestead in 1763. This attack became the downfall of the colonial brotherhood. I have experience in writing fanfics but this is my first attempt at Assassin's Creed. Hope you like it.
1. Chapter 1

**Assassin's Creed: Downfall**

February 1761, Davenport Homestead, Massachusetts

The forest seemed dead. There were no sounds to be heard in this snowy forest. All the trees were quiet and the cold winter air blew across the forest, lifting small swirls of snow into the air. And in the middle of this place was a man with a red coat. He stumbled forward in the deep snow, cursing at the weather. He had a bald head and there was a some kind of war painting on his head. He also had a scar above his left eye. The man kept walking until he reached a beautiful manor. "Finally." He thought as he quickened his pace and went towards it. But the man didn't know he was being watched. Two hooded individuals waited up in the trees, hidden from sight. The two men nodded at each other and then jumped down on the mysterious visitor exactly at the same time. The bald man noticed it just in time. He struggled with the attackers briefly and managed to get himself free, even wounding the other attacker in the face with a quick punch. "You're not welcome here." The hooded attackers said. "Oh, but I am. And you will let me walk right in." The bald man said as he pulled a gigantic axed from the back of his coat. "So how's it going to be? I'd rather not kill you." The hooded men pondered for a while and then stepped aside. The bald man went inside the mansion and went into the kitchen. Then he saw a person sitting near a long wooden table. "Achilles Davenport, I presume?" Said the bald man with a calm voice.

Achilles stood up. He wore a similar hooded robe to his guards, although it was more ornate. He had a dark skin and brown, lively eyes. And yet the bald man saw sadness in them. Achilles leaned on a cane because he was crippled in his last encounter with the assassins."And who are you?" He asked and gave the bald man an angry look. He clearly didn't like unexpected visitors. "You can call me Thomas. I have heard many things about you and your little brotherhood. Your reputation is legendary." He paused a little and then continued: "I was a redcoat once. A proud soldier in The British army. But all that changed when I met the man called Edward Braddock." Achilles nodded. "Yes. I heard about him. The Bulldog had a reputation for cruelty." Thomas looked at Achilles as he talked more. "I eventually learned that Braddock was part of a secret organisation. The templars. Unfortunately, Braddock didn't like me snooping around. So he had my family tortured and imprisoned, while I was disgraced and stripped from my rank. I then hunted The Bulldog for years, wanting to get revenge. But unfortunately, I was too late. Braddock was already killed by his fellow templars apparently. The templars took everything from me, even my revenge. But now, my time has finally come. I have an army. And with the support of your brotherhood, we can eradicate this templar pest from the colonies."

Achilles refused. "No. The templars killed too many of us. We were betrayed. By one of our own. I trusted him like a brother. And thanks to him, the colonial brotherhood is now nearly destroyed. Only a handful of our allies remain. I'm sorry. I don't wish to be a part of this fight anymore. I was defeated." Thomas smirked and grabbed Achilles by the collar, choking him. "Listen old man, the decision is not yours to make. I will do this with or without your approval. Those assassins who still remain alive have already given me their support. But if you want to wallow here in your own self pity instead...well it will be your own shame." Achilles looked at him, seemingly terrified. Thomas was determined to get his revenge on the templars. And soon he would get it. Thomas eventually let go of him. Achilles finally gave his consent. Then a young woman, about 25 years old, stepped in. She was wearing boots and a long hooded light blue silk robe. Her hair was dark and her eyes were bright green. She was carrying a bow with her. Thomas had a devilish smile as he introduced the woman to Achilles. "Meet Delaney. She's a French spy. And she will be a key player in the downfall of our enemies." Delaney shook hands with Achilles and spoke with a heavy french accent: "Pleasure to meet you mentor. I have been trained in the most advanced stealth techniques. It will be a great joy to introduce the templars to the sharp end of my arrows." Achilles was nervous. But it was too late to back down. The plan had already been set in motion.


	2. Chapter 2

July 1761, New York City

Master templar Shay Cormac was inside Fort Arsenal in New York City. He stroked his dark hair lightly with the palm of his hand as he studied some maps. Shay had promised to the grand master find the mysterious artifact known as the precursor box after the assassins sent it away. So far he knew only that it was located somewhere in Europe. Shay was eager to leave the colonies and see more of the world. He was feeling rather adventurous. But he couldn't leave yet. Not before the templars were certain that the assassin threat was truly over. Shay sighed. Then he heard a knock behind the main entrance. He opened the door and saw the grand master. Haytham Kenway. Always looking so iconic with his hat and cape. "Master Kenway. Quite interesting to see you here. I thought you were busy with your grand master duties." Haytham responded with a tired voice: " As a matter of fact, I am busy. I only need help. From you. Some remaining allies of the assassin brotherhood are planning something big. I heard they're gathering near Trinity Church. Come. We will find out what they're planning. With some luck, we can intercept their plans before they even start." "I make my own luck, Master Kenway. And I'm glad to help."

Shay and Haytham arrived at their destination. Indeed, there were three suspicious men gathering near the church. Haytham hid in a haystack while Shay climbed on the roof of the church. They had to eavesdrop these men to find out their plans. "So Harold, how have you been?" Said the first man. "Not good. The mistress is demanding us to work more with smaller wages. That woman is a damn tyrant. "Be careful Harold. She might cut off your tongue if you say something bad about her. Anyway, I have that letter. Deliver it to the mistress before she skins us all alive." "Yes Jack, I will. See you later." The man known as Harold took a letter from the others and started to run. Shay quickly climbed down to talk with Haytham. "Go Shay, get that letter! I will interrogate these other men and see what they know." "Very well, master Kenway." Shay sprinted after Harold. Using the rooftops, he was able to take a shortcut and he landed on the ground right in front of Harold. "I think you should give me that letter sir." "Go to hell!" Harold shouted and attacked Shay with a dagger. Shay swiftly dodged the incoming strike and disarmed him. Harold realized he was now unable to defend himself. He dropped the letter and fled. Shay picked it up, opened it and read the letter. The letter mentioned a plan to kidnap New York's governor, who was an ally of the templars. And the letter was signed with the initials W.M. "The grand master was right! They're definitely up to something..." Shay started running. He eventually found Haytham in a side alley. Haytham was covered in blood and the bodies of the two other men were lying at his feet. "Ah shay! I hope you found something. I'm afraid my conversation with these men was a bit too intense. They couldn't withstand my slightly aggressive persuasion methods." "Indeed I have." Shay handed him the letter. "They're going to kidnap the governor. I don't know when and where but I'm sure the writer of this letter knows." "I see. Well, we must track him down. But first help me hide these bodies."

Harold escaped to the harbor of New York. He had just been robbed by a templar. And now he was afraid the mistress was going to punish him for his failure. And he was right. As he walked near a warehouse, he stepped on a small rope with a noose in it. Suddenly the noose tightened around his leg and the rope pulled him up. He was hanging upside down like an animal caught in a hunter's trap. A woman stepped out of the shadows. A woman with a very familiar light blue robe. Harold started to shiver. "Please mistress Delaney! Don't do this!" The woman replied with her French accent: " You have failed me monsieur (sir). And this is not the first time. You always bring me only failures and misfortune. But no more. As a punishment for your péchés (sins), I will take something from you. Delaney put a knife to his ear. Then there was a scream of pain. And blood splattered on the wall behind them. When Delaney left, the blood was flowing down from the floor like red raindrops, forming a small pool below. Harold was still hanging upside down. He sobbed. And below him was the knife Delaney had used. Its blade was red and stuck in the ground.


	3. Chapter 3

November 1761 Sleepy Hollow, River Valley

There was something eerie about the village of Sleepy Hollow. Especially when it was covered with morning mist and the bell tower of the old church was rising above it all. Shay cormac arrived in Sleepy Hollow aboard his ship, The Morrigan. He was led here by that strange letter. Haytham had uncovered the sender's identity. He was a corrupt priest named Wyatt Moss, operating out of Sleepy Hollow. Today Moss was preaching to a large crowd and he was surrounded by armed thugs, no doubt associated with the assassin brotherhood. "I have to kill Moss and get some answers from him. Now, I just need to figure out how to get close." Shay thought as he approached the church. He hid in the crowd and listened Moss' speech. "Friends, fellow citizens. I have called you here today to warn you about a great evil. The agents of the devil walk among us. They secretly control our society. They control everything. They wear the red cross as their symbol. But fear not. I am here for you. I will banish these demons from our world. But I need your help. Report any suspicious activity to me or to my guards." Shay used his eagle vision to scout the surroundings. "So this is your plan Moss? To turn the people against the templars? I'm afraid that plan is not going to work." Moss then left and walked into the cemetery, his guards accompanying him. Then Shay saw his chance. He rushed forward and took his air rifle, shooting a sleep dart onto the neck of the nearest enemy. He collapsed. Another guard turned around. "What the-" He was stabbed in the heart with a hidden blade before he could react. Shay then tossed a smoke bomb and eliminated the rest of the guards under the cover of a smoke screen.

Moss saw him and started to run. Shay gave him chase. Shay quickly dashed behind a large tree as Moss shot towards him with a pistol. "Your new world will never happen you demon! You say your ideology is for the best of this world but you only desire to enslave us all! Hypocrites!" Shay waited and then replied: "Says the man who wears the robes of a priest and shoots people with a gun." This enraged Moss. He shot towards the tree several times until he had to reload. "Damn you templar!" Shay came out and used a rope dart. He yanked the rope and Moss fell over while dropping his pistol. Shay approached and stabbed him in the throat before he could get back up. "Tell me what the assassins are planning Moss." Wyatt Moss coughed blood from his mouth as he spoke." You are...too late...my allies are already taking the governor..." "You fool! I hope your God will punish you in the afterlife." He watched as Moss drew his last breath and then slumped to the ground, dead. Shay ran back to the Morrigan. "Raise the anchor Gist! We have to get back to New York fast. The assassins are already executing their plan." "You heard the captain! Let's get her moving!" And so the Morrigan sailed down the river, towards New York City.

December 1761, New York City

Shay met Haytham in New York. "Master Kenway. Am I too late?" "I'm afraid so. A group of thugs abducted the governor from his own manor. They are presumably using him to learn the identities of our allies." "I will find him for you." "Make it fast Shay. If the assassins discover the names of our supporters, our position of power will be in danger." Shay climbed into a tall tower and scanned his surroundings with eagle vision. From the crowd he was able to spot Harold, the assassin courier. He had stolen the letter from Harold earlier. Shay jumped down into a haystack and followed Harold, carefully blending among the crowds to avoid being seen. Shay noticed Harold was now missing an ear and there were bloody bandages on the spot where his ear used to be. Harold walked into an old tavern. The building was old and in a very bad condition. It seemed like a perfect place for criminals. Shay followed him inside. There were many assassin affiliated thugs drinking in the tavern but they were too busy to notice Shay. Shay wandered around until he heard a grunt of pain coming from the backroom. The door was locked. Shay kicked open the door and there he found the governor, half-dressed, tied and badly bruised. As soon as Shay entered, the assassin thugs attacked him. Shay dodged their fists and send one man flying across the room with a powerful kick to his face. The other man grabbed Shay from behind and held him in place, while the third one came from the front with a dagger in hand, laughing. Shay stepped on the toes of his captor. The man shouted and let him go. Shay crouched and narrowly avoided the blade of the dagger, which instead sunk deep into the eye of the man behind him. The stabber was shocked as he had just accidentally killed his friend. Using this moment of confusion to his advantage, Shay tackled him and then hit his head against the nearest wall, knocking him out.

Shay untied the ropes and released the governor. "Oh thank you young man. You have my gratitude." "Always glad to help, governor." "You can call me with my real name. Cadwallader Colden, pleased to meet you." "Shay Cormac. A pleasure." "Being a governor is not an easy task master Cormac. It requires patience and a certain touch of delicacy. I was a natural scientist in my younger days and I have to admit I sometimes miss those days. They were peaceful. Now I'm always busy and this war with the French has worn me out." "I'm sure the war is over soon governor." "I hope so too my boy. I hope so too." Shay escorted the governor out of the tavern and back into his mansion. "So, did you...did they get any information from you?" Shay asked. "No. They tortured me but I didn't break. I believe the templar cause is more important than anything else, so I resisted the pain. Resisted the urge to tell them any names." "Good. I will ask the grand master to send more men to protect you. We foiled the assassins' plans for now, but that doesn't mean they won't try to take you again." "Send my regards to the grand master." "I will. Farewell governor." Shay left the building and went back into Fort Arsenal. All the time he was wondering how they could defeat this new assassin menace once and for all.


	4. Chapter 4

Summer 1762, New York City

Shay Cormac and Haytham Kenway were following a horse carriage through the bustling streets of New York. Two assassin thugs were driving the carriage. "What do you think they're planning Shay?" "Nothing good. They have been transporting something throughout the city for weeks according to our spies." "They will fall to our blades soon enough. Once we find out who's leading them now, I shall deal with him personally. It can't be Achilles anymore. That much is known." The carriage stopped in front of a factory of some kind. Shay and Haytham hid nearby and listened. However, the conversation between them didn't reveal anything useful. Suddenly Haytham stood up. "This is a waste of time. Actions speak louder than words. You will soon learn the meaning of that phrase." Haytham waited for the men to get inside, he then sprung forward and impaled the lonely guard outside with his sword from behind. "You will stay here Shay. I shall flush out their leader. Once that rat runs out you will catch him and make him talk." "Understood." Shay went into position just outside the doors and waited for Haytham to do his thing. For a long while it was quiet. Almost too quiet. But Shay trusted in the grand master completely. He knew that at this very moment, the grand master was sneaking inside the factory and silently taking out the guards. Finally Shay heard a scream. Somebody was running towards the door. "Shay moved and grabbed the runner as soon as he came out of the door. He pushed him against the door and held the hidden blade against his throat. The runner was Harold. "Well, we meet again. Jesus, what happened to your ear?" "None of your concern templar scum. Now let me go." "I don't think so. You will tell me what you're doing here or your other ear falls off too." "Allright fine. Fine. Just don't hurt me. I suffered enough already. We are transporting barrels of gunpowder all over the city. Our boss came to the conclusion that it's impossible to get rid of you templars through normal means. So we have been ordered to burn the city to the ground. New York will suffer for it yes, but we will be able to begin it from scratch without any templar influence."

"You bastards! Innocents will die because of you. I thought you learned something from Achilles. But no, you have to keep slaughtering more innocents." "Achilles doesn't even know we're doing this. He is merely an observer. The real control of the assassins is now in the hands of someone else. And he will destroy you." "How do I get to him? Answer me!" "Through my boss. A woman named Delaney Gagnon. She's the one who did this to me." "We will stop your plans. You can count on that." Shay proceeded to knock him out and reunited with Haytham. "Why didn't you kill him Shay?" "He is just a misguided fool. His heart has been poisoned with lies. He doesn't deserve to die because it's not his fault." "Fine. But now we must hurry. I'll gather as much men as we can. We will scatter around the city and make these powder kegs harmless." "Let's hope we can still save New York." Shay travelled to Lower Manhattan. There he found a huge pile of powder kegs on the rooftop of a building that was still under construction, with scaffoldings around it. He spotted a woman with a hooded robe on the rooftop too, giving orders to some men. "She must be Delaney Gagnon." Shay prepared his grenade launcher. He took some time to aim carefully. He then launched a grenade filled with poison gas right in the middle of them. The men were immediately affected by the poison and began attacking each other. But it didn't affect Gagnon. She turned and she had a scarf in front of her nose and mouth. "I'll send you to hell templar dog!" She screamed while taking aim at Shay with her bow. Shay rolled behind a chimney to avoid the arrow. Gagnon was fast. She was already on the same rooftop with Shay. Now she performed a backflip over the chimney and attempted to shoot Shay from above.

Shay reacted by dropping a smoke bomb before she could shoot. Thanks to this the arrow missed Shay, but not completely. It scratched his side while flying past him, causing a wound. It was only a minor wound but it felt extremely painful. Gagnon landed in front of Shay. Before she could shoot again, Shay launched himself at her and began to wrestle with her. Gagnon was a strong woman. She had clearly trained. Shay stole one of her arrows and stabbed her in the side with it. This caused Gagnon to lose her grip and her bow fell off the roof. Gagnon was wounded now too but she didn't care. She attacked Shay furiously like a wild animal, and their struggle moved on to the scaffoldings around the buildings. However, one scaffolding couldn't bear their combined weight. It collapsed below their feet, sending both of them falling several meters, still struggling with each other. Shay was able to grasp a rope hanging from the roof but Gagnon fell all the way down and broke her spine. Shay heard it crack like a dry stick. He climbed down. Gagnon was mortally wounded. Before passing away, she uttered some very important words. "The leader...you can find him...at the homestead..." Afterwards Shay met with Haytham again. New York was safe for now. The templars had neutralized all the assassin henchmen in the city and safely disposed of the powder kegs. Now one thing was certain. They had to strike a lethal blow to the assassin brotherhood. A strike that would break them completely and prevent them from doing any more harm. It was almost ironic. Shay would end his fight against the colonial assassins in the same place where it started years ago: The Davenport Homestead.


	5. Chapter 5

Winter 1763, Davenport Homestead, Massachusetts

There was a thick layer of snow in the forest surrounding the Homestead. Several men walked through the forest. Shay Cormac and Haytham Kenway were at the front of the pack. "It's quite cold in here." Said Shay. "Don't forget that we've seen worse." Haytham reminded him. As the group kept on walking, they heard a sound. "Halt! There's someone in here." The men looked around nervously. Suddenly they were surrounded by several assassin thugs armed with muskets. "Great. We walked straight into an ambush." Haytham replied very confidently: "Patience Shay. I anticipated we might encounter some resistance." He started to talk to the assassin thugs. "Gentlemen! There's no need for unnecessary violence. Lower your weapons now and I might spare some of you. Otherwise you will be dead in five seconds." The men just laughed. Without warning the sound of gunshots filled the air. And the assassins surrounding them were all dead in about five seconds. "Told you! But you didn't believe me..." Haytham proclaimed. Shay looked like he was about to ask something. "Don't worry Shay. That was backup plan. Jack weeks and his men are hidden in the forest, protecting our backs. As you can see they did it pretty well. Now, shall we continue onwards?"

Eventually they reached the manor. Everything seemed quiet until gunshots echoed in the air once again. Huge amount of assassin thugs ran towards them, while Jack Week's men were fighting another group in the forest. "Well this changes our plans a bit. To arms men! Me and Shay will take care of the assassin leaders. You will hold off these thugs." Haytham and Shay busted inside the mansion through the front door. There they saw Achilles Davenport. "Achilles. I thought you had learned your lesson..." There was hatred in Shay's voice. "This isn't my doing Shay. I was forced into this by him." They looked up and saw what he meant. A bald man with the red coat of the British army and a notable scar on his face stood on the second floor. "Welcome grand master. I have been waiting for this moment. My name is Thomas. And you will die by my hand." He pulled a massive axe from his back. "This man is mine Shay. You will stay here and make sure Achilles doesn't escape." "Are you sure?" "I'm the best swordsman in our order. I'll be fine."

Haytham took his sword in hand. He ran up the stairs and attacked. Thomas swung his enormous axe. Haytham stepped back and avoided it. The axe sunk deep into a wooden chair and split it in half. Now was Haytham's turn to charge. But Thomas easily blocked him. Haytham saw the war paint on his head for the first time. They looked like symbols of some kind. Haytham was certain he had seen those symbols before but he couldn't remember where. Thomas pushed him and he was forced to retreat while avoiding the strikes from the axe. Thomas kicked Haytham in the stomach and he stumbled through a door behind him. Soon he found himself lying on his back in the manor's balcony. Thomas raised the axe. Haytham rolled sideways to dodge and the axe hit the floor. But Thomas was already preparing for another strike.

Shay was distracted by the sounds coming from upstairs. Achilles knocked Shay down with his cane and drew a sword from his belt. Achilles tried to slash Shay but Shay took his own sword and prevented it. Their swords were now locked. Shay kicked Achilles in the shin. This was a sensitive place due to his injury. This gave Shay time to get back up. Despite being a cripple, Achilles was still an excellent fighter and not to be underestimated. Shay attacked several times but Achilles kept parrying all his attacks. "You can't win Shay..." "That remains to be seen my old mentor." Shay grabbed a chair and smashed Achilles with it. Achilles briefly lost his balance but he kept fighting anyway.

The fight between Thomas and Haytham raged on in the balcony. Haytham grabbed some snow to his hand and threw it, aiming for the face. It momentarily blinded Thomas. Haytham climbed onto the roof and jumped down on Thomas from above. He sliced Thomas in the back with his hidden blade but was shaken off before he could deliver the killing blow. Haytham jumped to the nearest tree banch from the balcony but the dry branch snapped and he fell to the ground. Thomas followed him down. They continued their fight in deep snow under the tree. Haytham began to tire out. Thomas was too strong. Even for him. And Thomas clearly had the upper hand now as he forced Haytham to retreat towards the edge of a cliff. Thomas knocked the sword away from Haytham's hand and in the process wounded his arm badly. He grabbed Haytham by the throat and began to choke him.

Meanwhile the fight between Achilles and Shay was culminating. Shay forced Achilles on the defensive by trying to slash his sides. This eventually gave Shay the opening he needed. He broke Achilles' defence with one swift strike from below and then plunged his sword straight into Achilles' already injured shin. Achilles groaned in pain and fell to his knees. He was finally defeated. He began to talk with a quiet voice, almost whispering. "I have lost everything. My family. My followers. My dignity. And all this because I focused on a personal quest for power and forgot everything else in the process. I admit my defeat." He had tears in his eyes. Shay almost felt sorry for him. Almost.

Haytham felt the air escaping from his lungs. His vision became blurred. Thomas had him on a tight stranglehold. "At last my revenge is complete. You templars destroyed my life. I have the right to return the favor. You're weak Haytham. Once you're dead I will wipe out the rest of your pathetic order." "I don't...think so..." Haytham coughed. "If you're defeated this easily, the rest of you won't be a challenge. You're like insects. Great in numbers but easy to kill." "This insect...is going to...bite you." As Haytham said that he stabbed Thomas in the arm with his hidden blade. Feeling the pain, Thomas released him. Haytham held his throat and gasped. He took a pistol in his hand. Moments later an enraged Thomas charged towards Haytham with axe in hand. Haytham raised the pistol and shot him in the chest.

Thomas felt a stinging pain in his chest. When he looked down he saw a gaping bloody hole right in the middle of his chest. He dropped the axe and slumped down on his back. As Haytham recovered he came standing next to the dying Thomas. "Surely you can understand Haytham. I wanted justice." "But you did it the wrong way. Murdering innocents is not justice! You will lose your soul in the process." "Perhaps. But I did what I believed what was right. And revenge was not my only motive, Haytham. Her enemies wanted me to ensure that the key can never be used to release her." Haytham looked confused. "What are you talking about?" The key you are holding...it will release her. Juno. I serve her enemies. And I failed. You don't know what you have done. You have opened Pandora's Box..."

Thomas was gone. Haytham was still confused when he thought about what Thomas had said. And then he remembered something. "The symbols painted on his head! I've seen them in my father's journal. They are precursor symbols. So this man served the precursors...does that mean some of them are still alive?" Haytham met with Shay afterwards. "The assassin threat is finally over in the colonies. We left Achilles alive as an example for others. He cannot do anymore harm when he is alone" Haytham said. "Aye. But the fight continues overseas. I just got word from our spies. The precursor box has been sighted in Prussia." "Then that is where you must go next Shay. Sail across The Atlantic and retrieve the box for us." "I'm already preparing for the voyage master Kenway. What will you do when I'm away?" "I'm going to increase our strenght. I see a bright future where the whole continet of North America will be under templar rule. And to achieve that, we need to spread our cause to every city in the colonies." "I hope you will be succesfull." Shay turned to leave. "Shay? Good luck out there." "For the 100th time, I make my own luck, master Kenway." Shay smiled and then he left.


	6. Epilogue

The Epilogue

Haytham did as he promised and continued to strenghten the order. He dedicated the majority of his time to this purpose in the 1760's. He recruited new members into the order and ensured that all subsequent governors of New York were sympathetic to the templar cause. During this time he also travelled around the colonies to establish alliances and when he had free time, he stayed at his plantation in Virginia. The American colonies fell completely under templar control due to his actions.

Shay Cormac left the colonies in 1766 and travelled to Prussia. He spent the following four years hunting the box there without results. Then he heard the box was moved to France. Shay settled in paris in 1770 and became associated with the Parisian rite of the templar order. It would take many years for Shay to find the box however. He eventually recovered it from the Palace of Versailles in 1776.


End file.
